KDs are designed/developed/inspired/mused/auto-suggested/indigested to make folks think; an especially uncommon experience among Democrats, Republicans, and jingoistic mainline denominationalists who continue to discourage dissent with their ever-threatening thought police.

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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Though Santa
showed up in big boxes shortly after the World Series, the, uh,
official/liturgical start of Advent was last Sunday.

Nobody asks
anymore, but "Advent" comes from the Latin verb advenio ("to
come") and refers to the coming of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

It's
Christendom's season of preparation; recalling John the Baptist's exhortation,
"Prepare the way of the Lord!"

Advent recalls
the coming of God in Jesus as the Babe of Bethlehem, reminds us of God's
continuing presence or coming into our lives as Holy Spirit, and looks forward
to God's coming again in Jesus to usher in the eternal Kingdom.

The season inspires
self-examination and repentance; hence, the liturgical color is purple or
violet which is associated with penitence as well as royalty for the coming of
our King Jesus.

@#$%

Isaiah: "The
Lord Himself will give you a sign: the virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel."

When the baby
grew up, He disclosed, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a
miraculous sign!"

Well, uh, yeah,
that's, uh, true to us.

God knows it/us; which
is why He gave us the sign!

It had to be
something/Someone spectacular/supernatural.

So, uh, yeah, He
came in the first advent of Jesus as the Babe of Bethlehem.

Jesus had/has
perfectly divine wisdom (Wonderful Counselor), wasn't like but is/remains God (Mighty
God), has divine authority/ability to save here and now and hereafter
(Everlasting Father), and is the way to "strong calm sanity" as well
as existential (with people) and eternal (with God) reconciliation (Prince of
Peace).

Isaiah: "A
shoot will come from the stump of Jesse...the wolf will live with the lamb...a
little child will lead them."

Jesus was/is the
anointed/appointed One to enable peace among people who move toward each other
through Him and guarantee life after life.

Only God can do
that!

That's why we
call Him Savior and Lord.

@#$%

One of my
favorite Advent traditions is the Advent wreath.

It is round to
symbolize God's eternity and often evergreen for His everlasting mercy.

The candles
represent Jesus as the Light of the world.

Although practice
varies, we normally use three purple candles (symbolizing penitence, royalty,
shepherds, angels, and wise men), one rose candle (see Isaiah 35), and one
large white candle to proclaim Jesus as the one and only Light of the world.

Advent is all
about preparing ourselves to receive Him as personal/corporate...God.

@#$%

@#$%

Blessings and Love!

One
Man's Ride to Real Faith...

It's raw, rough, real, and maybe
even redemptive; and he could lose his day job for writing about it! I
Just Wanna Ride is an Ivy League pastor's search for
authentic faith on a motorcycle after he couldn't find it after years in
academics, pulpits, and pews. From his immersion into biker culture since
watching Easy Rider as
a teen-ager, the author holds no punches in this provocative, edgy, and risky
look at hogs and those who ride 'em as a metaphor and challenge to believers
and bikers. Too authentic for "church ladies" and too concerned
about "faith" for secularists, this book demands reading by all of 'em
if any of 'em care about Who and what matter most sooner or later and
definitely in the end.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It's raw, rough, real, and maybe
even redemptive; and he could lose his day job for writing about it! I
Just Wanna Ride is an Ivy League pastor's search for
authentic faith on a motorcycle after he couldn't find it after years in
academics, pulpits, and pews. From his immersion into biker culture since
watching Easy Rider as
a teen-ager, the author holds no punches in this provocative, edgy, and risky
look at hogs and those who ride 'em as a metaphor and challenge to believers
and bikers. Too authentic for "church ladies" and too concerned
about "faith" for secularists, this book demands reading by all of
'em if any of 'em care about Who and what matter most sooner or later and definitely
in the end.

Monday, November 28, 2011

A friend asked
for some suggestions about leading a Sunday School class on prayer.

My response:
"The best book of prayers is Psalms.
The best book on the best book of prayers is Bonhoeffer's Psalms: The Prayerbook of the
Bible. The best book on the ease/authenticity of 'praying
without ceasing' is Brother Lawrence's The
Practice of the Presence of God. The best book on why we need
to pray is I Just Wanna
Ride. Uh, forget the previous sentence; but order lots of
copies for the book-signing at your church."

Sorry.

Not.

Though critics
will certainly contend with my, uh, contention, I think I Just Wanna Ride raises
serious questions about/for...

Ah, read the
blurbs plastered all over this site.

Psst.

Cheap electronic versions
are now available via www.amazon.com and
hard copies should be available for Christmas shoppers long before the official
1/1/12 publication date.

@#$%

My mom is
concerned about the "raw, rough, real, and maybe even redemptive"
style.

Specifically, she
doesn't like the honest use of language in parts of it.

Moms.

She asked,
"What will some people think?"

My response:
"The book is in the language of 'real' not posing pewsitters/pulpiteers.
It will offend some; but as Paul noted, we must learn the language of people to
communicate. I'm willing to take some personal risks to get people to
discover the kinda faith that makes a difference 'cause the conventional kind
ain't doin' much for many anymore."

Of course, that's
all I'm gonna say about the content for now; 'cause, geez, I want you to buy
some and encourage others to the same.

@#$%

My mom's question
kinda bugged me for a while.

It's a vocational
hazard - the question not my mother.

While our family
of faith at First Presbyterian Church in Belvidere, Illinois has come a long
way in realizing authentic faith is more about a relationship with Jesus than a
posing religion polluted with cultural PCs, I know, well, uh, read the
blurbs...

Be that as it is, I read
Peterson's translation/paraphrase of Matthew 15 and found some
relief/confirmation as the official publication date approaches.

The Message: "Pharisees
and religion scholars came to Jesus...criticizing, 'Why do your disciples play
fast and loose with the rules?' But Jesus put it right back on
them. 'Why do you use your rules to play fast and loose with God's
commands?'"

Hmm.

Read that again
and then read the last KD on
baptism(s) again.

The Message: "You
cancel God's commands by your rules. Frauds! Isaiah's prophecy hit
the bulls-eye: 'These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but
their heart isn't in it. They act like they're worshiping me, but they
don't mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits
their fancy.'"

When we start
confusing human traditions/inventions with God's revealed Word in Jesus and
Holy Scripture, we re-write Genesis: "People created God in their own
image. In the image of people, people created God."

Dogma is not
divine unless it is clearly and conclusively confirmed by the person of Jesus
and prescriptions of Holy Scripture.

Anything other is
a, uh, guess at best and navel-gazing idolatry at...

Read the first
few of the big ten.

The Message: "Later
his disciples came and told him, 'Did you know how upset the Pharisees were
when they heard what you said?' Jesus shrugged it off. 'Every tree
that wasn't planted by my Father in heaven will be pulled up by its
roots. Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men.
When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.'"

Absolutely.

Of course, I Just Wanna Ride looks at
biker culture as a metaphor and challenge to "church ladies" and, uh,
so, uh, the "ditch' metaphor can be a tad too...

There's a
difference between authentic faith which is all about a relationship with Jesus
as revealed in Holy Scripture and the posing frauds being promoted by too many
pewsitters and pulpiteers whose religion is often only coincidental to...

@#$%

So why did I
write it?

Readers will
decide for themselves; but, yeah, I have...

My concern is the
message not mechanics (kinda like, uh, baptisms); and if the later offends,
well, to quote that guy in Gone
With the Wind, frankly, I don't...

I want the
publisher to make lots of $ for taking the risk to publish it.

I want to make
some $ to bless family, friends, and the increasing needs of people during
these challenging times.

Yeah, I have a
selfish...

Psst.

The goal in
writing, concomitant to my love for Jesus and biker culture, is to provoke
church ladies, pewsitters, pulpiteers, and bikers to move from posing to...

And, yeah, BTW, I
was confronted with my own posings while writing it.

I'm still a
WIP.

@#$%

When I told Rus
about the music selections for my inevitable funeral, he said he'd honor most
of 'em; reminding me that such services are not rock concerts.

Friday, November 25, 2011

I've been asked about these lines in
the first section of my last post (please read the whole section again before engaging this
comment): "I'm not about to debate the distinctives or duplicities of such
churches; and if you don't know why I'm not interested in the former because of
the latter, I can't as well as won't even try to..."

Peterson's translation/paraphrase of
Matthew 15 comes to mind as instructive: "Why do you use your rules to
play fast and loose with God's commands?...You cancel God's command by your
rules. Frauds! Isaiah's prophecy of you hit the bulls-eye: 'These
people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn't in
it. They act like they're worshiping me, but they don't mean it.
They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their
fancy.'"

Monday, November 21, 2011

Many churches
have laws against baptizing somebody who's been baptized as a baby.

They don't
believe in rebaptizing.

For them, once is
enough, uh, or should be enough, uh, or can be assumed to be enough, uh,
or...

They figure
"baby" baptism is sufficient for anyone who's been, uh, baptized as a
baby; and they've devised elaborate covenantal theologies to make themselves
feel good about their, uh, restrictions.

I'm not about to
debate the distinctives or duplicities of such churches; and if you don't know
why I'm not interested in the former because of the latter, I can't as
well as won't even try to...

Whether dipped,
dripped, dabbed, or dunked, baptism, regardless of the age, is all about being
"marked off" for God.

Babies are
"marked off" for God as parents and congregations promise to pray/try
to provide an education, environment, and example of Christianity that will
encourage "confirmation" of everything said in baptism about Jesus
and Biblical faith when the baby grows up into a more discerning soul.

Adults, whenever
that happens, make a decision to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior and
Biblical faith as true and then ask to be baptized or "marked off"
for Him.

But it gets a
little dicey when somebody older than a baby shows up and asks after
confessing, "I know I was baptized as a baby; but I never knew about it
except for some certificate that I found among some old papers in a
closet. But now I really, really, really believe in Jesus as Lord and
Savior; and I really, really, really want to be baptized because, well, I just
want to be baptized because I love Him so much and want the whole world to know
how much I love Him. Will you baptize me?"

Selah.

Seriously.

Selah.

Before spitting
out the typical denominational law about it like a mindless drone, ask
yourself, "What would Jesus do?"

I can't even
reimagine Jesus saying, "Sorry, dude, you were baptized as a baby and
that'll have to be enough for you."

This sounds about
right: "Sure, I love you so much and you loving me so much makes this a
good day to baptize the relationship."

Jesus always gave
second chances; actually, second and third and fourth and...

Really, and,
again, I know this is tough for mindless drones who pay more attention to
denominational laws than Biblical revelation and Spiritual enlightenment, what's sooooooo bad about doing
it again?

Geez.

If we can renew
marriage vows and auto licenses and magazine subscriptions...

@#$%

Big Mac comes to
mind.

I'll never forget
the corny joke that he'd repeat in every class that he taught in seminary.

"A woman
went to her pastor and asked if she could have her baby daughter done. The pastor
asked, 'Do you want her rare, medium, or well done?"

O.K., but,
Biblically/spiritually, there's another way to look at that.

Peterson
paraphrase/translation of Jesus: "'Who do you think my mother and brothers
are?' He then stretched out His hand toward His disciples. 'Look
closely. These are my mother and brothers. Obedience is thicker
than blood. The person who obeys my heavenly Father's will is my brother
and sister and mother.'"

Baptism(s) is/are
a tad more complicated than denominational laws about it/them.

Or as Tony said
to a denominationalist who had a hard time giving up his franchise's
constitution for Biblical revelation, "You do it your way; and I'll do it His way."

I'm not saying
it's always easy to figure that out; but I am saying I think we make it a lot
more restrictive and confusing than He ever intended.

I guess I'm with
Dodd who was with Jesus and concluded it's better to err on the side of gospel
than law.

@#$%

@#$%

Blessings and Love!

"I Just Wanna Ride" Pre-pub Orders!!!

One man's ride to real faith...

It's raw, rough, real, and maybe
even redemptive; and he could lose his day job for writing about it! I Just Wanna Ride is an Ivy League pastor's search for authentic faith on a
motorcycle after he couldn't find it after years in academics, pulpits, or
pews. From his immersion into biker culture since watching Easy Rider as
a teen-ager, the author holds no punches in this provocative, edgy, and risky
look at hogs and those who ride 'em as a metaphor and challenge to believers
and bikers. Too authentic for "church ladies" and too concerned
about "faith" for secularists, this book demands reading by all of
'em if any of 'em still care about Who and what matter most sooner or later and
definitely in the end.

The official release will be January 1, 2012!

Watch for the first book-signing at Woodstock
Harley-Davidson before spring!

It's raw, rough, real, and maybe
even redemptive; and he could lose his day job for writing about it! I Just Wanna Ride is an Ivy League pastor's search for authentic faith on a
motorcycle after he couldn't find it after years in academics, pulpits, or
pews. From his immersion into biker culture since watching Easy Rider as
a teen-ager, the author holds no punches in this provocative, edgy, and risky
look at hogs and those who ride 'em as a metaphor and challenge to believers
and bikers. Too authentic for "church ladies" and too concerned
about "faith" for secularists, this book demands reading by all of
'em if any of 'em still care about Who and what matter most sooner or later and
definitely in the end.

The official release will be January 1, 2012!

Watch for the first book-signing at Woodstock
Harley-Davidson before spring!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Jerry counseled
years ago, "When you don't know what to do, just do what the Bible tells
you to do."

That's why I've
always preceded most church board meetings with worship and sacrament in the
chapel.

It's hard to hit
and hate after you've been together at the table; focusing on Jesus and
preparing to filter deliberations through Him.

@#$%

Our family of
faith at First Presbyterian Church in Belvidere, Illinois is in the midst of
massive transition/transformation.

Aside from a
profound Spirit-led movement from posing religion to authentic faith, we're
spending the money of dead people (endowment) to fix up the beacon for Him and
safe haven for His.

While we won't be
in debt, our endowment will be mostly exhausted when it's all over.

Hence, lots of
hassles or, as I like to say, opportunities to model Someone better for
outsiders as well as insiders who don't get it/Him.

Keeping churches
together through wineskin-stretching-behold-He-makes-all-things-new, uh,
changes is tough; for lots of folks don't like to see anything happen for
the first time or long for the way things never were or maybe were but are no
more.

Though I don't
like anonymous notes 'cause they're kinda like emotional terrorists who don't
have the guts/integrity to put their names to their acts and I find nothing in
the Bible that justifies anonymity - again, read/digest John 3:19-21 - a few
lines quoting somebody anonymously slipped under my study's door caught my
attention: "Scripture is clear about the church's mission...sharing the
gospel...caring...encouraging, and admonishing one another in God's
truth. None of these is fully possible if a church is divided...When
differences are divisive, our mission becomes blurred and we are ineffective...Unity
is crucial to achieving our purpose...Sacrificing our desires for the greater
good of a unified church, we please God. And obedience gives greater joy
than getting our way."

Not bad for an
anonymous note.

It really hit me
'cause I had read only hours before in my first morning Bible reading:
"Jesus said, 'I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual...This is
a war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on My side, you're
the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse...The fruit tells
you about the tree...A good person produces good deeds...An evil person is a
blight on the orchard...Words can be your salvation...Words can also be your
damnation.'"

Whoa.

Again, Jan:
"Some people are like farts in the elevator. It just takes
one. Everyone suffers. Nobody can escape."

Fortunately, the
good guys know God wins sooner or later, usually sooner than later, and
definitely in the end.

So the sheep (us)
keep following the Good Shepherd (Jesus) to sanity, safety, and salvation.

Before a recent
board meeting, we went to the table and approached/heard the Word before some
very tough deliberations.

Here's a summary
of selected texts with italicized expositions from Matthew 9:35-10:42.

The Message: "Jesus made a circuit of all the
towns...He taught...reported...healed...When He looked out over the crowds, His
heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no
shepherd...'What a huge harvest!...How few workers!...On your knees and pray
for harvest hands!'"

So many are dying without an
invitation. Souls are everlasting. We have a role in their
destinies.

The Message: "The prayer was no sooner prayed
than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of His followers and sent them
into the ripe fields."

Jesus is counting on you/us!

The Message: "Jesus sent His twelve harvest
hands out with this charge: 'Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to
convert unbelievers...Go to the lost, confused people right here in the
neighborhood...Tell them the kingdom is here...Don't think you have to put on a
fund-raising campaign before you start. You don't need a lot of
equipment. You
are the
equipment."

Eugene said to us, "It's not what
you are doing, but who you are in doing it!"

The Message: "Stay alert. This is
hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running
through a wolf pack...Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove."

Wolves are persecutors of
believers. They seek to destroy the church. We must be tough-minded
and tender-hearted when dealing with them. King wrote, "Jesus recognized
the need for blending opposites. He knew His disciples would face a
difficult and hostile world...He gave them a formula for action: 'Be ye
therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.''"

The Message: "Don't be naive. Some people will
impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation - just because you
believe in Me."

If everyone likes you, that includes
the bad guys. Get over it! People who love Jesus and pray and try
to love like Jesus will be hated for...Him.

The Message: "When people realize it is the
living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they
are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a
great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate!
But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is well worth it in the
end."

Remembering we're going to live a lot
longer with Jesus than anybody else makes establishing life's priorities a
no-brainer.

The Message: "Don't be intimidated...Don't be
bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There's nothing they can
do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your
entire life - body and soul - in His hands."

Again, remembering we're going to live
a lot longer with Jesus than anybody else makes establishing life's priorities
a no-brainer.

The Message: "Stand up for Me against world
opinion and I'll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn
tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you? Don't think I've come to
make life cozy...Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies.
If you prefer father or mother over Me, you don't deserve Me...If you don't go
all the way with Me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve Me. If
your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself.
But if you forget about yourself and look to Me, you'll find both yourself and
Me."

Again, remembering we're going to live
a lot longer with Jesus than anybody else makes establishing life's priorities
a no-brainer.

The Message: "This is a large work I've called
you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it."

God is bigger than our biggest and
baddest challenges.

The meeting went
well.

They always do
when focused on and filtered through Jesus.

@#$%

I Just Wanna Ride is
coming out soon - projected for a 1/1/12 release.

You'll hear more
about it.

Anyway, the cover
may feature a picture of me looking very Ivy Leagueish in front of some Greek books juxtaposed
to, uh, a picture akin to the one on this site.

When a young
woman who knew me as a young girl saw this site's picture, she asked her daddy,
"Did he go over the deep end or something?"

My buddy's
response, "No, he's always been over the deep end for Jesus which is
why..."

Monday, November 14, 2011

I got into this
to point people to Jesus so they wouldn't have to worry about going to hell and
enable 'em to stop bringing so much hell into the...

I got into this,
proverbially, "to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable"
as personified in Jesus and prescribed in Holy Scripture.

I did not get
into this for...

Well, you know
what I mean; and if you don't, no amount of explaining will...

@#$%

I like to arrive
early for Matthew's basketball games.

It's fun to watch
warm-ups and try to figure out who should...

An unsettling
apocalyptic moment occurred just before a game last week.

As I was about to
scale the steps to my favorite spot at the top of the bleachers, one of my
favorite 8th graders exploded, "Pastor Bob, I had a dream about you."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really," she said, "that you died."

Beginning my
ascent, I noted, "Yes, I will."

@#$%

My wife thinks I
have a death wish because I talk so much about death.

People think I
have a death wish because I don't wear a helmet while riding my mule.

Geez.

I talk about
death so much because I do so many funerals and, ergo, thoughts of my own
mortality to this life are impossible to escape.

I don't wear a
helmet because I'm rebellious by nature and Libertarian by politics; along with
other reasons that you can read about when I
Just Wanna Ride comes out.

Truly, except for
wanting a bestseller before I die and customizing Return 2 (in mind not barn) at
Woodstock HD for a trip around the perimeter of the states to research
"What It Means to be Faithful in a Country that Doesn't Give a Damn About
God Anymore" and witnessing fulfilled dreams for my immediate family and
family of faith at First Presbyterian Church, I'm very Pauline about death if you know what I mean.

But you know that
stuff about dreams/visions in the Bible.

My young friend
got me to thinking about...

@#$%

I believe in
heaven through faith in Jesus.

I believe it is
the pure and perfect place of personal peace where there is no more pain or
crying or tears or...

I believe Jesus:
"You will be with Me in paradise."

What's not to
like about that?

Sounds a lot
better than living in central Pennsylvania right now.

So, yeah, I'd
rather be with Jesus than anyone/anywhere/anytime else.

Uh, that's what
it's/He's all about.

@#$%

But, sometimes, I
feel like cashing in ahead of schedule.

It's so hard as
well as illogical trying to be rational with the irrational, irascible,
irreconcilable, and...

More to most of
my time is exponentially spent with people bringing everything but heaven
into...

Everywhere I go.

World.

Country

Franchise (aka
denomination).

Sports.

Even...

You name it.

No escape.

Peterson:
"God, let me withdraw for a while now from the chatter and gossip of the
world, and let Your words sink deeply into my mind and spirit. In the
quietness of these moments help me to realize the eternal significance of the
birth of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen."

Sigh.

I want to resign.

I want to quit.

I want to run
away.

I want to be with
Jesus.

@#$%

I can't.

I've often been
asked - indeed, I was first asked this while being examined on the floor of
Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Presbytery back in 1976 - if I could/can see myself
being/doing anything other than being an undershepherd.

No.

Yeah, I wouldn't
have minded being called to pitch for the Yankees or beat Tiger to Jack's
records or work at Woodstock HD.

But, no, I can't
see myself as anything other than an undershepherd.

It's my Beruf.

No escape.

Matthew 10.

John 10.

I've always
wanted to be just like Jesus for Jesus; except for, you know, the
crucifixion part.

@#$%

Karry, an elder
and biker buddy, and I have joked about not cutting/trimming/whatever our
facial hair until gossip ceases, attendance improves, people stop hoarding what
He's entrusted to them to manage for Him, and other stuff that sparks
temptations to resign, quit, run away, or...

Bad idea; and not
just 'cause it'd look like we'd gone over to the AGers or SBers.

If we do it,
we'll end up looking like ZZ Top.

Maybe not.

Nazirites come to
mind.

Not literally if you know what I mean; and if you
don't, look 'em up.

Uncut/unkempt
hair to symbolize grief and mourning and...

An irritant (salt) to
those who are...

Hey, Karry, maybe
we should...

I wonder if
others would join the...

Gotta pray on
that one.

@#$%

A street preacher
in Belvidere came into my study after last Sunday's first service.

He plopped his well-worn
Bible down on my desk and demanded that I read Psalm 118:17.

I did in several
translations/paraphrases.

He rebuked me for
even thinking of resigning, quitting, running away, or...

He yelled at me.

He cried with me.

He hugged me.

He prayed with
me.

I didn't/haven't
resigned, quit, run away, or...

@#$%

Yes, I will die.

Not yet.

Maybe later than
the dream implied to the chagrin of...

Maybe sooner than
a few would prefer.

Of course, the
world/country/franchise/church and so on are killing me.

Yes, Gerry,
you're right! I do care...deeply. Now I know why you cry so
much. You care...deeply...like Jesus did/does.

We know what
it's like to have a broken heart: "When He looked over the crowds, His
heart broke."

We're dying
for...

We know only
He mends hearts.

So, in the
meantime that can be so mean at times, we're gonna get as close as we
can to Jesus so we don't resign, quit, run away, or...

We're gonna
give 'em the Gospel.

We're gonna
call 'em to confession and repentance in thanks and praise for the Gospel.